Pancake Day......and other things this week

The day before Ash Wednesday which is the start of Lent.  Pancake Day is when you use up all your food, like flour, milk and eggs before Lent. 

I never remember celebrating Pancake Day as a child, but I do remember in the 1960s whilst away at school, we had a Lent Box, and the idea was that you had to give up something during Lent (e.g. sweets) and the money you saved went into this box.   At the end of Lent it was handed into the local church. 

I have tried to celebrate Pancake Day since my children were young (now all grown up) by making a batch on the day.  At first my husband was not keen as he always felt ill when his mother made them, and so a taste of my pancakes was a huge surprise as he had no ill effects.  It transpires that his mother put a load of fat in hers, which turned out to be rather heavy in texture.  Since I make good pancakes (never tossed one) I am reminded at breakfast on the day "Don't forget the pancakes!". 

Now its done, we had them for lunch with lemon & orange juice and sugar (I also put Chocolate and Hazlenut spread on mine) - and sorry no picture as they were gone in a flash.  I make mine with 8 oz Gluten free, non wheat Self Raising Flour, a piece of melted butter, one egg and half a pint of milk (although with gluten free flour I find you need a tad more milk), whisk and ladle into a heated greased frypan (I don't have non-stick), and wait. 

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I finished the book this week - Ambush by Paul Carson.  If you like thrillers, then you may like this.  I absolutely enjoyed the fast pace action.

One wintry Dublin morning, a hired killer unleashes a deadly ambush.  His targets;  a Government Minister campaigning against drugs and his medical spokesman, Dr Scott Nolan.  But the attacks go horribly wrong, and in the bloodbath that follows, Scott's wife Laura is killed by a bullet meant for him.

Fuelled by guilt, grief and revenge, Nolan enters into an uneasy alliance with Laura's brother, Detective Mark Higgins.  Together they embark on a highly controversial convert mission to track down the assassin.

But their target is vicious and amoral - are Nolan and Higgins prepared to put their own lives on the line to catch him! 5/5



My stairs - not happy with colour.  Good idea to use up left over paint from other projects, but not such a good idea to use these colours for the stairs. 

The first day I painted every other step and the next day the other steps.  I left a note on  the step that was newly painted so that the guys knew which ones were "wet (tacky)" .  The comment was the steps are dry but the colours "tacky". That was not a compliment.......so off to the DIY to buy another tin of paint in another colour (not gloss as it is also too slippery).  Doesn't say much for me recycling....The other picture is looking up, the masking tape still in place.  Its going to stay like that until I find that alternative colour.

The rails will eventually be painted too and then the walls.  But for now I just got to get these stairs looking good.........